Home
We finally made it home after 21 days, 17 states, 766 gallons of gas and about 8,000 miles of driving. The whole trip has been wonderful, exceeding all of our expectations. It is very hard to pick out a few highlights, and the real highlights are the shared experiences that we have had together and with others. The times that we got to surf together, build robots together, laugh together and sit in quiet awe together are priceless. Getting to spend a little time catching up with family and friends was really a treat as well. It has been well worth the time, effort, and money; and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Some people have asked us if there were low-lights or things we would do differently if we did it all over again. There are a few, but they are minor. We would have skipped Vegas. It was expensive, hot, and didn’t offer much family activities, while exposed us to a lot of very non-family images. We also would have planned to save up a little more money for groceries. We had assumed that our regular grocery budget would be fine, but found that we had to purchase a lot of stuff at higher prices for convenience. We also should have planned on spending more money for souvenirs, and for eating out. We planned to eat in most of the time, but also really wanted to try the local restaurants. We had a rule that we couldn’t eat at any place where we had eaten before, and it turned out to be really fun. We also should have planned on driving more miles. We planned for about 6,200 miles, and really drove 8,000 due to driving around in different destinations. As I mentioned before though, that was off-set by our better than expected gas-mileage (over 10 mpg), and our better than expected fuel prices ($3.00 average).
If that’s all we can come up with for low-lights, then we were very blessed!
There are also a lot of things that we are really glad that we did do and bring. Taking the time every morning to read the Bible and pray was essential for guidance and overall well-being. He’s in control, and we counted on Him every single step of the way. We are also thankful that we brought Gladys for a different kind of guidance. We never wondered where we were, and never argued about how to get somewhere or missing an exit. She always knew where there was a Wal-Mart or a Laundromat, and showed us up to the second progress along the way. The motorhome itself was really the right way to do this kind of trip. We considered using a van and staying at hotels, or pulling a trailer, or even flying west and then renting; but having our home with us all along the way was truly ideal. Having internet service using Verizon Wireless’ “BraodBand Access” was very helpful for checking email, updating the blog, finding points of interest, and uploading pictures was really helpful. Speaking of uploading pictures, we sent all of our pictures to Flickr so that others could see them right away, and so that they would be safe in case the laptop got lost or stolen or broken. That really helped me have peace of mind that we wouldn’t lose all of our valuable pictures. Being together all the time was really the best thing of all. As we were almost home, we talked about not feeling too home-sick even after such a long time away. It was because we were all together that we really didn’t feel like there was much missing.
This was the trip of a lifetime, and we will carry these memories together forever.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Springfield
After leaving St. Louis late in the evening, Springfield, Il was a convenient place to stop for the night, and we really wanted to visit Abraham Lincoln’s house.
It was certainly worth the visit. Our 16th president was certainly a great man, and it was very interesting to gain some insight into his life. His farewell address to the people of Springfield as he left for the presidency was especially moving.
After touring the house and learning more about the man, we headed down to a park to have lunch and debrief before heading for home.
After leaving St. Louis late in the evening, Springfield, Il was a convenient place to stop for the night, and we really wanted to visit Abraham Lincoln’s house.
It was certainly worth the visit. Our 16th president was certainly a great man, and it was very interesting to gain some insight into his life. His farewell address to the people of Springfield as he left for the presidency was especially moving.
After touring the house and learning more about the man, we headed down to a park to have lunch and debrief before heading for home.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
St. Louis
We made our way all the way across Kansas, and Missouri, stopping in St. Louis late at night. After a restful sleep at the Wal-Mart, we headed down to the Science Center. I was really impressed with the St. Louis Science Center! Admission is free, and there is a ton of hands-on stuff that the kids (all five) really enjoyed. They also have some really cool demonstrations throughout the day that are fantastic. The demonstrators are fun, engaging, and very knowledgeable about the science of what they are demonstrating.
The one thing that we did pay for was the Lego Mindstorms activity. My son and I paid $3 to participate in a 7 person class where he built, programmed, and competed with a robot. He even won the tournament at the end of class!
Even the gift shop at the science center was reasonable. They had lots of relevant stuff to what we had learned about, and it was surprisingly not overpriced.
After seeing every demonstration, and almost all of the exhibits, we moved on to see the Gateway Arch. It turns out that there is parking specifically for RVs (and busses) right along the river, just south of the arch, which was really great. The short walk to the arch was nice on the perfect summer day, and we headed right in to the underground exhibits. The western history information was extensive, and we could have spent a long time learning about Louis and Clark, the Louisiana purchase, and other relevant information about westward expansion, but really just gave it a cursory look. We had wanted to take the tram to the top of the arch, but the only posted prices were $14 per person. It turns out though that the $14 price is a combo deal that includes one of the movies that play there, so I asked about a tram-only price and found out that it’s $10 for adults and $6 for kids. Furthermore, the prices all include a $3 national park fee, which we don’t have to pay because we have a National Parks Pass. So anyway, we initially thought we wouldn’t get to go to the top because it would cost $70, but it ended up being $27, so we went. It was worth it, and I highly recommend it to anyone.
By the time we were done at the Arch, it was getting late, so we decided not to cook dinner, but go out instead. We walked over to the Old Spaghetti Factory for some good family dining. Finally, we walked back to the RV and hit the road, telling Gladys for the first time to plot a route home. We knew we wouldn’t make it very far before getting too tired, but that’s the direction we’re heading now. We made it as far as Springfield, Il where we overnighted at Wal-Mart again, and plan to check out Abe’s house.
We made our way all the way across Kansas, and Missouri, stopping in St. Louis late at night. After a restful sleep at the Wal-Mart, we headed down to the Science Center. I was really impressed with the St. Louis Science Center! Admission is free, and there is a ton of hands-on stuff that the kids (all five) really enjoyed. They also have some really cool demonstrations throughout the day that are fantastic. The demonstrators are fun, engaging, and very knowledgeable about the science of what they are demonstrating.
The one thing that we did pay for was the Lego Mindstorms activity. My son and I paid $3 to participate in a 7 person class where he built, programmed, and competed with a robot. He even won the tournament at the end of class!
Even the gift shop at the science center was reasonable. They had lots of relevant stuff to what we had learned about, and it was surprisingly not overpriced.
After seeing every demonstration, and almost all of the exhibits, we moved on to see the Gateway Arch. It turns out that there is parking specifically for RVs (and busses) right along the river, just south of the arch, which was really great. The short walk to the arch was nice on the perfect summer day, and we headed right in to the underground exhibits. The western history information was extensive, and we could have spent a long time learning about Louis and Clark, the Louisiana purchase, and other relevant information about westward expansion, but really just gave it a cursory look. We had wanted to take the tram to the top of the arch, but the only posted prices were $14 per person. It turns out though that the $14 price is a combo deal that includes one of the movies that play there, so I asked about a tram-only price and found out that it’s $10 for adults and $6 for kids. Furthermore, the prices all include a $3 national park fee, which we don’t have to pay because we have a National Parks Pass. So anyway, we initially thought we wouldn’t get to go to the top because it would cost $70, but it ended up being $27, so we went. It was worth it, and I highly recommend it to anyone.
By the time we were done at the Arch, it was getting late, so we decided not to cook dinner, but go out instead. We walked over to the Old Spaghetti Factory for some good family dining. Finally, we walked back to the RV and hit the road, telling Gladys for the first time to plot a route home. We knew we wouldn’t make it very far before getting too tired, but that’s the direction we’re heading now. We made it as far as Springfield, Il where we overnighted at Wal-Mart again, and plan to check out Abe’s house.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Denver
We rolled in to Golden, Colorado late Saturday night and found the Wal-Mart to park for the night and to buy essentials. This store was a little harder to find because it looks different from the outside. There’s a lot more trees and the exterior matches the other buildings in the area. There must be some law that you have to have a certain architecture because even the McDonalds looked this way.
In the morning, I got on-line to try and find a Church to attend. We ended up at the new Mesa View Evangelical Free Church. It was very small, and very friendly. I think every person there greeted us at least once, and really engaged us in conversation. The worship was great, and the message was practical and challenging. One of the elders (in flip-flops and a bright Hawaiian shirt) gave us some advice for how to ascend Mount Evans, which came in handy the next day.
After Church, we dropped in on some family on short notice, and they were very gracious. They have a beautiful home in the mountains, and it was a blast to visit with them and catch up. She cooked up a phenomenal Italian dish for lunch that everyone enjoyed, then we took some pictures and continued on our way.
Mount Evans boasts the highest paved road in North America, though it’s not really accessible with a 29’ motorhome. We got there late in the afternoon, and thunderstorms prevented an immediate ascent, so we camped at the campground near Echo Lake, and made our attempt first thing Monday morning. We drove up to Summit Lake at 12,800 feet and parked the RV, setting out on foot by 8:00. Our oldest and I climbed the 1,400 feet up to the 14,288 foot peak.
It was a very difficult climb, and we almost gave up several times, taking frequent breaks and making modest goals to encourage each other to press on. Being accustomed to near sea-level, we were really struggling, and so when we got back to the bottom, we bought souvenir t-shirts that say “Got Oxygen?”
After conquering our fouteener, we headed in to Denver proper to get some coffee (I was out of my home-roast, and there’s a Peet’s store) and to eat out. I looked on wikitravel again, and found Tommy’s Thai in the budget listings (I even updated the listing because there was a typo in the address). We hadn’t had Thai yet, so this seemed like a good idea. Was it ever! The restaurant was the best. Very good food, very good service, very nice décor, and the prices were very reasonable. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. Even the kids liked it.
Finally, we stopped at Flying J on the way out of Denver to dump our tanks, and fill up on water and gas. Now we are on our way toward St. Louis.
We rolled in to Golden, Colorado late Saturday night and found the Wal-Mart to park for the night and to buy essentials. This store was a little harder to find because it looks different from the outside. There’s a lot more trees and the exterior matches the other buildings in the area. There must be some law that you have to have a certain architecture because even the McDonalds looked this way.
In the morning, I got on-line to try and find a Church to attend. We ended up at the new Mesa View Evangelical Free Church. It was very small, and very friendly. I think every person there greeted us at least once, and really engaged us in conversation. The worship was great, and the message was practical and challenging. One of the elders (in flip-flops and a bright Hawaiian shirt) gave us some advice for how to ascend Mount Evans, which came in handy the next day.
After Church, we dropped in on some family on short notice, and they were very gracious. They have a beautiful home in the mountains, and it was a blast to visit with them and catch up. She cooked up a phenomenal Italian dish for lunch that everyone enjoyed, then we took some pictures and continued on our way.
Mount Evans boasts the highest paved road in North America, though it’s not really accessible with a 29’ motorhome. We got there late in the afternoon, and thunderstorms prevented an immediate ascent, so we camped at the campground near Echo Lake, and made our attempt first thing Monday morning. We drove up to Summit Lake at 12,800 feet and parked the RV, setting out on foot by 8:00. Our oldest and I climbed the 1,400 feet up to the 14,288 foot peak.
It was a very difficult climb, and we almost gave up several times, taking frequent breaks and making modest goals to encourage each other to press on. Being accustomed to near sea-level, we were really struggling, and so when we got back to the bottom, we bought souvenir t-shirts that say “Got Oxygen?”
After conquering our fouteener, we headed in to Denver proper to get some coffee (I was out of my home-roast, and there’s a Peet’s store) and to eat out. I looked on wikitravel again, and found Tommy’s Thai in the budget listings (I even updated the listing because there was a typo in the address). We hadn’t had Thai yet, so this seemed like a good idea. Was it ever! The restaurant was the best. Very good food, very good service, very nice décor, and the prices were very reasonable. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. Even the kids liked it.
Finally, we stopped at Flying J on the way out of Denver to dump our tanks, and fill up on water and gas. Now we are on our way toward St. Louis.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Utah
… and New Mexico, and Arizona, and Colorado all at the same time. That’s right, we took a little side trip to the four-corners. There is not much there except the small monument with a marker in the middle. It’s a fun place to be because everyone is giggling and joking about being in different states than everyone else. We took a couple pictures, bought some Indian trinkets and continued on. Here’s a picture of the kids losing a game of twister … Right foot Arizona?!?
From there, we decided that it would be cool to see Arches National Park, so we headed north and a little bit back west to arrive late at night. It was hot and tough to sleep; there wasn’t enough gas in the tank to run the generator, and I was too lazy to drive down the street to get more until morning. On a side note, I discovered that there is an elevation adjustment on our generator. Some of you may be surprised that I didn’t know that before, but it sure explains some of the problems we were having in the mountains. At around 8,000 feet near the grand canyon, it wasn’t working even though we had plenty of gas, so I went out to tinker with it and discovered a little knob graduated between 0 and 10,000 feet. It was turned all the way down, and when I turned it to 8,000, the thing worked great!
In the morning, after filling up with Gas, we headed into the park, and did some great bouldering together as a family. It was a blast. Seeing the arches and balanced rocks was cool too. Morning was the time to be there because by noon, it started to get hot and get busy. We even got to see a big jack-rabbit, which apparently is a rare site during the day.
After the park, we went back into Moab to visit the Laundromat, shower, and drain our tanks. Now we’re on the road again towards Denver.
… and New Mexico, and Arizona, and Colorado all at the same time. That’s right, we took a little side trip to the four-corners. There is not much there except the small monument with a marker in the middle. It’s a fun place to be because everyone is giggling and joking about being in different states than everyone else. We took a couple pictures, bought some Indian trinkets and continued on. Here’s a picture of the kids losing a game of twister … Right foot Arizona?!?
From there, we decided that it would be cool to see Arches National Park, so we headed north and a little bit back west to arrive late at night. It was hot and tough to sleep; there wasn’t enough gas in the tank to run the generator, and I was too lazy to drive down the street to get more until morning. On a side note, I discovered that there is an elevation adjustment on our generator. Some of you may be surprised that I didn’t know that before, but it sure explains some of the problems we were having in the mountains. At around 8,000 feet near the grand canyon, it wasn’t working even though we had plenty of gas, so I went out to tinker with it and discovered a little knob graduated between 0 and 10,000 feet. It was turned all the way down, and when I turned it to 8,000, the thing worked great!
In the morning, after filling up with Gas, we headed into the park, and did some great bouldering together as a family. It was a blast. Seeing the arches and balanced rocks was cool too. Morning was the time to be there because by noon, it started to get hot and get busy. We even got to see a big jack-rabbit, which apparently is a rare site during the day.
After the park, we went back into Moab to visit the Laundromat, shower, and drain our tanks. Now we’re on the road again towards Denver.
Grand Canyon
We talked to a person in Vegas who tried to sell us a helicopter tour of the grand canyon, and it was pretty appealing, but way too much money. So before we left town, I checked out wiki travel for some canyon info, and found a link to Air Grand Canyon. Their airplane tour was just within our budget, so we decided to book the 8:00 flight for the next day (Friday). When we got to the canyon, it was dinner time, so we decided to find a comfortable parking lot and hunker down for the night. By the time we were ready to eat, it was almost sunset, so we put dinner on the back-burner, and walked over to the rim to watch.
The next morning, we headed the short drive over to the airport to get our air tour. We were not disappointed! The guys at Air Grand Canyon were the best! Our oldest got to sit in the co-pilot’s seat, and the pilot let her taxi the plane briefly after we landed while he took a picture of her. The tour was perfect, not too long or too short and seeing everything that we wanted to see. The pilot was very knowledgeable, and pointed out the major features. I can’t see why anyone would pay more for a helicopter tour since they can’t go below the rim anyway.
We talked to a person in Vegas who tried to sell us a helicopter tour of the grand canyon, and it was pretty appealing, but way too much money. So before we left town, I checked out wiki travel for some canyon info, and found a link to Air Grand Canyon. Their airplane tour was just within our budget, so we decided to book the 8:00 flight for the next day (Friday). When we got to the canyon, it was dinner time, so we decided to find a comfortable parking lot and hunker down for the night. By the time we were ready to eat, it was almost sunset, so we put dinner on the back-burner, and walked over to the rim to watch.
The next morning, we headed the short drive over to the airport to get our air tour. We were not disappointed! The guys at Air Grand Canyon were the best! Our oldest got to sit in the co-pilot’s seat, and the pilot let her taxi the plane briefly after we landed while he took a picture of her. The tour was perfect, not too long or too short and seeing everything that we wanted to see. The pilot was very knowledgeable, and pointed out the major features. I can’t see why anyone would pay more for a helicopter tour since they can’t go below the rim anyway.
Sin City
Once in Las Vegas, we set out to find the best family-friendly things to do. With the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the Tigers at MGM, Dolphins at the Mirage, and Circus acts at Circus Circus, we had high hopes. It turns out that everything costs a lot of money though, so we didn’t see the Aquarium or the Dolphins. The lion exhibit was closed, so all we really caught was a couple circus acts (a clown, an acrobat, and a juggler). It was really hot, so it was good that the RV was plugged in back at the KOA with the air conditioner running all day. We didn’t want to walk in the 103 heat, so we purchased passes on the “Deuce” double-decker bus. This turned out to be of little value because they were infrequent, and often too full to pick us up. We did enjoy a couple of the free outdoor shows. The Volcano at the Mirage was really cool, and the Pirate show at Treasure Island was impressive, but a little too blue to be called family-friendly. Even the food was more expensive than we expected, and the buffet that we had dinner at was not any better than Old Country Buffet back home. We did enjoy some of the stores, especially the m&m store, the Coke store, and the FAO Schwartz. The m&m store was many levels high, and was worth going to the top because they had a cool 3D movie theater that we got to experience. The Coke store was the best place for a modest t-shirt, a refreshing beverage, and some pictures. Finally, the FAO Schwartz store was cool, with the classic floor piano, and a three-story Trojan horse.
Overall, we were dissapointed with Vegas, and would not recommend it to anyone, though now we can truely say that we've been there, done that, and have the t-shirt!
Once in Las Vegas, we set out to find the best family-friendly things to do. With the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the Tigers at MGM, Dolphins at the Mirage, and Circus acts at Circus Circus, we had high hopes. It turns out that everything costs a lot of money though, so we didn’t see the Aquarium or the Dolphins. The lion exhibit was closed, so all we really caught was a couple circus acts (a clown, an acrobat, and a juggler). It was really hot, so it was good that the RV was plugged in back at the KOA with the air conditioner running all day. We didn’t want to walk in the 103 heat, so we purchased passes on the “Deuce” double-decker bus. This turned out to be of little value because they were infrequent, and often too full to pick us up. We did enjoy a couple of the free outdoor shows. The Volcano at the Mirage was really cool, and the Pirate show at Treasure Island was impressive, but a little too blue to be called family-friendly. Even the food was more expensive than we expected, and the buffet that we had dinner at was not any better than Old Country Buffet back home. We did enjoy some of the stores, especially the m&m store, the Coke store, and the FAO Schwartz. The m&m store was many levels high, and was worth going to the top because they had a cool 3D movie theater that we got to experience. The Coke store was the best place for a modest t-shirt, a refreshing beverage, and some pictures. Finally, the FAO Schwartz store was cool, with the classic floor piano, and a three-story Trojan horse.
Overall, we were dissapointed with Vegas, and would not recommend it to anyone, though now we can truely say that we've been there, done that, and have the t-shirt!
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